Charles Riddel holds bachelors and masters degrees in mathematics, and also has taken a heavy concentration of physics courses. He has worked as an engineer for over 30 years -- and has designed and manufactured telescopes and telescope mounts for 20 years. Charles has also used many optical instruments on all types of tripod heads -- and began thinking about the Hitch Hiker while hiking. Charles took all of the photos and videos for the Kickstarter project while testing the Hitch Hiker.

Jake Riddel holds bachelors and masters degrees in mechanical engineering an has eight years experience engineering specialized drilling tools in the oilfield equipment industry. He has also been a part-time contributor to the design and manufacture of the astronomical telescope mounts. And he is the co-designer of the Hitch Hiker. Jake also enjoys outdoor pursuits including mountain biking and fishing. He is learning more about digital photography -- and is thinking about a design for a pylon to fit in his boat to carry a Hitch Hiker and camera for photographing shoreline wildlife.